The Wish
by Mandidawna
Summary: Jenny is 22 years old and has had a good life. She is thankful for Julian's sacrifice, but can't help wondering "what if?"
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone (I know I should be working on my other story, The Truth, but I kind of took a break and had a hard time picking it back up!) You know the drill, I own nothing, it all belongs to L.J. Smith. Any character that seems like someone else's character or an actual person is coincidental. I hope you enjoy and please review!

**The Wish**

Chapter 1

"Jenny! Are you ready yet? What's taking so long?" Dee called from downstairs. Jenny was almost ready. She finished curling her hair and applied some lip gloss. She looked in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. Her long golden hair was down in large curls. She put brown eyeliner and black mascara with pale gold eye shadow around her pine needle eyes. Her cheeks were naturally a pretty shade of pink and her eye brows two decisive brush strokes.

Jenny ran to the closet and threw on a pair of skinny jeans and a flowy tank top and grabbed her black ballet flats. Jenny ran down the stairs and pulled her flats on before grabbing her purse which was sitting on the bottom step. Dee handed her a cardigan and Jenny pulled it on, noticing her friend was smiling at her. "What's so funny?" Dee laughed, "You weren't really taking long, but I figured out how to make you hurry it up." Jenny lightly punched Dee's arm, "Lately you've been taking longer to get ready than me." Dee smiled a real smile and almost blushed. "I really like him Jenny. And judging by how nice you look tonight I'm guessing you are starting to really like Steven." Jenny smiled back at her friend and nodded. Jenny looked Dee over and saw she was wearing a nice pair of skinny jeans and flats as well and a very new looking top that accentuated Dee's curves.

A horn honked outside and the girls exchanged excited glances and headed out to the driveway. Dee sat in the front next to Peter, a fellow personal trainer that worked at the same gym as Dee. He was very handsome, tall and well built. Summer liked to tease Peter about taking steroids, but they all knew he didn't. He had black hair, brown eyes, and eye lashes so dark it almost looked like he wore eye liner. He craved danger in the same way Dee always had, but he was very level headed and responsible. Dee and Peter balanced each other out in a way that was almost too perfect.

Jenny got in the back seat next to Steven. He handed Jenny a lily and lightly kissed her cheek. "You look amazing." He said, "You look nice too. And thank you, for the flower." Jenny said smiling. It was true, he did look nice. He had brown hair that reminded Jenny of Tom's, no matter how messy it was it always looked stylish. He had hazel eyes and a tan complexion. Audrey had told Jenny many times that she thought Steven could be an Abercrombie model, and Jenny had to agree. He was wearing a worn brown leather jacket with a white tee shirt and plain jeans. If any one else were dressed the way he was they would look underdressed for the restaurant they were headed too, but Steven could make anything look good.

They pulled out of Jenny and Dee's driveway and headed towards La Fleur. The new French restaurant in town. Jenny was looking at the lily sitting on her lap and noticed she was wearing Julian's ring on her left hand ring finger. Discreetly, she pulled it off and put it on her right hand. She didn't want to explain to Steven about why she was wearing it on that hand. Any time she took off the ring, even for a second, Jenny felt naked. It had become a part of her after Julian's death. A reminder that she is her only master and of the sacrifice Julian made so she could live her life. Any time Jenny felt like lying in bed all day or passing up a chance to do something knew, she thought of that sacrifice and got up and did it for Julian. She tried to dream of Julian, but dreams are so unpredictable it only happened every so often, but thankfully, when she did dream of him they were always full of light and happiness.

"Jenny?" Jenny looked at Steven and realized he had been talking to her. "I said we're here." He said smiling at her. Jenny got out of the car and they headed inside the restaurant. Jenny quickly realized she didn't need to worry about Steven being underdressed, because all four of them were. Not a person could be seen wearing jeans. All the men were in crisp suits and the women all looked incredibly elegant. "Umm-" Jenny started but Steven didn't seem bothered. He walked up the waitress, "Reservation for Steven James." The hostess looked all four of them over with a forced polite smile and seated them in the very back corner of the restaurant, a table conveniently hidden by anyone at the front entrance.

Peter looked as uncomfortable as Jenny felt, but Steven and Dee didn't act as though they noticed or cared about the dress code. They quietly looked over their menu's and Jenny realized she didn't recognize anything other than caviar as it was all in French. "Need help?" Steven asked. "I have no idea what any of this says." Jenny said trying not to giggle at Dee who was squinting her eyes as though she could understand French if she squinted hard enough. Steven was going on, "What sounds good? Steak, chicken, soup?" Peter took away Dee's menu, "Your going to pop a blood vessel if you keep doing that. Steven, you wanna order us some kind of chicken?" Dee was just smiling and nodded in agreement. "I think chicken sounds good too." Jenny said. They were all smiling at each other, trying not to laugh. They ordered their meals and a bottle of wine.

It still felt weird to drink in public to Jenny. She was 22, almost 23, but she still felt like she was breaking a rule. She had yet to drink any kind of alcohol at her parents house, it just felt awkward. She thought back to her 21st birthday when she allowed her college roommate, Cassy, to take her to a club for the first time. Jenny drank a little too much and woke up on her bathroom floor with one shoe on. She never found the other shoe and had a hangover for two whole days as well as no memory from that night. That was the first and last time Jenny would have more than two drinks at a time.

The food came and smelt amazing. "I have no idea what this is but it is so good." Jenny said between bites. She heard grunts of agreement from the other three sitting at their table. The rest of their double date was rather bland. No one had any deeper conversations than small talk, but every time Jenny would glance at Steven he was smiling at her. She would smile back automatically but was a little disappointed that any time she attempted conversation with Steven he wouldn't give any more than one word answers.

After dinner they headed out to the boardwalk by the ocean to take a stroll. The sky was clear giving them a good view of the setting sun and music could be heard down the beach giving the evening a romantic, magical feeling. Dee and Peter had walked a head of Steven and Jenny, walking at a faster pace. Jenny guessed it was automatic from their martial arts and running backgrounds.

Steven took Jenny's hand as they walked and Jenny smiled at him. He smiled back but didn't say anything for what felt like forever. "So, Jenny, tell me more about yourself."

Jenny laughed, "What do you want to know? You know the basic stuff from work."

"Its hard to talk at the hospital. It seems like us nurses do more work than the doctors." He gave her a joking smile. "How about we talk about our pasts. When was your last relationship?"

Jenny took a deep breath and sighed. This was usually the time when any date she had became uninterested in her. "Well, my last serious relationship lasted until I turned 18. We were together since kindergarten and just kind of grew apart. He went to college across the country for football and I wanted to stay here with my friends and family." She glanced at Steven to see his reaction but he just smiled and said, "Go on."

"I dated off and on through college, but never found anyone I really liked, you know?"

Steven stopped walking and turned towards Jenny. "I know. I never had a serious relationship because I could never find the right person. Until now." Jenny was frozen. This was only their fourth date and they hadn't even kissed yet. Steven was obviously having the same thought as he leaned in to kiss her. Jenny watched his face get closer and then suddenly pulled back. Steven looked hurt for a moment and then nodded. He let go of her hands and they just stood like that for a moment. _Why did I pull away? I should say something. Anything. Any time now Jenny. _"Uh…" Jenny said stupidly. She felt terrible for rejecting him like that but he had freaked her out with the serious relationship talk.

Steven slowly turned and started walking down the boardwalk towards the car. Not looking at his hurt expression woke Jenny up. "Steven, wait-I'm sorry!" She called after him but he just kept walking. Jenny sighed and walked over to a bench facing the ocean. She sat down and pulled out her cell phone. _Steven is waiting at the car. I totally blew it. _She texted Dee. Jenny closed her phone and dropped it back in her purse and looked out over the ocean.

_Why do I always mess things up with guys? I didn't compare Steven to Julian or Tom like I used to with other guys so that was good, but I still pulled away from him. _Jenny was trying to figure out where she had messed up. Her life was good. She had amazing friends and a great family, but she always felt like something was missing. Jenny had thought that it was Tom breaking up with her for football for a long time until she realized it was for the best. The really did just grow apart. There were no hard feelings between them and they would always care about one another, but they wanted different things now.

Jenny had gone to UCLA and became a nurse. She graduated about six months ago and had worked since then almost 10 hour days, but she loved it. Her friends had spread out but were still incredibly close. Summer was an elementary school teacher at their old school and was engaged to Zach, who had a photography studio in town. Dee became a personal trainer at the local gym and taught Kung Fu on the weekends. They had bought a house together about three months ago. Audrey and Michael were also engaged and lived in LA. Michael was an aspiring author and was currently working on getting his masters degree in psychology. Audrey had become an interior decorator and had taken any internship she could get at any notable fashion magazines editing office. They were all doing great and living their lives happily and to the fullest.

_So why do I feel like something is missing? _She thought to herself again. She knew the answer. She always had, but she was always too afraid to admit it to herself. She wanted to know what things could have been like 'if'. What if Julian had come and just asked her? What if Julian had waited until Jenny was 18 and Tom had broken up with her? What if he came back to her right now? Or what if she had the chance to do every thing over again? _I'll never know. What if it feels like something is missing my entire life? _Jenny was almost ashamed of herself for feeling sorry for herself.

Jenny looked up at the night sky and saw a single star, twinkling so innocently at her. She smiled. _What if, right? _Jenny whispered to the star the nursery rhyme that almost every child knows. "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight." _I wish I could have one more chance… _She laughed to herself for being so childish.

Jenny turned when she heard Dee's voice. She came over and put an arm around Jenny's shoulders. "Lets get home tiger." Jenny smiled at her friend and let Dee and Peter lead her to the car. She gave once last glance up at the little star in the sky, but couldn't see it anymore.

A/N: So what did you think? Please let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

Ok everyone! I'm sorry about the wait I wish I was better at quick updating! There's a lot of inner monologue but there was no other way to do this chapter. Not very much action, but stick with me! I own nothing, its all lj smiths! I used a few quotes/descriptions from the book the hunter and i am not taking credit for that either. enjoy!

Chapter 2

_Beep! Beep! Beep! _Jenny automatically rolled over and hit the snooze button on her alarm clock. _Just 5 more minutes then I'll get ready for work… Wait. I didn't set my alarm - I don't have work today… _Jenny opened her eyes to look at the alarm and was taken back by the sight of the alarm clock she had taken to Goodwill when she moved out of her parents house. Jenny sat up and was more than surprised to see herself in her old room at her parents. She looked around wildly, trying to understand how she got there. "How?" Jenny asked out loud. But it was more than just being at her parents house. There were things sitting in this room that she had given away, but there they sat looking perfectly normal in their place.

Jenny slowly pulled the covers off her and started to get out of bed when she noticed her right hand. Her ring was gone. She looked at her left hand thinking she might have moved it back to that hand and forgotten. It was gone. More importantly, the tan line she had gotten from wearing the ring all summer was gone too. It was like she was transported back in time to when she was a teenager, before she had the ring, before she met Julian.

Jenny walked over to her full length mirror and looked at her reflection. People always told her she aged very well. She hadn't really believed her friends, she just thought they were trying to be sweet by saying they didn't look a day over sixteen, but looking at herself in the mirror she was surprised to see that she looked the same as yesterday - when she was twenty-two. Jenny touched her hair as though it wasn't real, but it was. She noticed she was wearing her old stripped pink and yellow pajama bottoms and a yellow baby tee shirt. _I threw these away when I was 18. I was having a sleep over with Audrey, Dee, and Summer and I spilt hot chocolate all over them and the stain wouldn't come out… _Tears began to fill Jenny's eyes. _That didn't happen yet. I didn't graduate, Tom and I never broke up, I never became a nurse, I've never met Julian, none of my friends have changed without the games… Because somehow I'm in the past…Or I've completely lost my mind…_

"Jenny! Hurry up or your going to be late for school!" Her mother called from the other room. "School?" Jenny whispered to no one in particular. Jenny heard a knock on her door and froze. _Should I hide? Do I act normal? _Before she could make a decision, her mother opened the door. "Oh, honey, when you didn't answer I thought you might have fallen back asleep. I am heading to work and your father already took Joey to school on his way to work this morning. You better hurry up, I don't want you to be late dear. Oh and tell Tom I said happy birthday." Jenny stared at her mother like she was speaking Japanese. Too shocked to respond. "Jenny, dear are you alright? You look a little pale…" Jenny tried to think of something to say. "Uh… Yeah. Yes, I'm fine, just tired." Jenny gave her mother what she hoped resembled a smile, and it must have worked because she nodded and closed the door behind her. A few seconds later, Jenny heard the front door shut and her mother's car start.

"Ok. What the hell is this?" Jenny whispered to herself. She automatically reached for her cell phone that she always kept on her night stand but only saw her alarm clock. "I didn't have a cell phone when I was 16... I'm 16. It's Tom's birthday. Oh my God." _The game. I buy the game from Julian after school. But how? _Jenny felt as though she was struck by lightening. The star. _But that's just a silly bedtime story, it's not real. You can't wish on a stupid little star and wake up six years in the past. _But apparently she did.

_Ok. Think. What are you going to do? This was what you wanted right? Another chance? _Jenny looked back into the mirror at her reflection. "What were you thinking? Another chance at what exactly?" She asked the mirror. _Another chance to help change Julian? You already know you care about him, so why not take this chance and see if you could love him? You already know how everything will turn out if you refuse his offers. Remember that feeling, _she was asking herself, _that awful feeling that something is missing? That feeling will stay forever if you don't try to see what your missing with Julian. You have another chance, just like you wanted, so what are you going to do? _"I'm going to take it." She said to herself.

Jenny jumped when she heard a car horn outside her house. "Tom!" Jenny went over to her closet and threw on a pair of jeans and snug long sleeved pink shirt. She ran in the bathroom and threw on her usual makeup and brushed her hair. Jenny grabbed her backpack that was sitting by her door and flew out to Tom's car. He was leaning against the passenger side door in jeans and his letterman jacket. Jenny ran over and gave him a tight hug.

"Whoa Thorny, your gonna cut off my air supply if you squeeze any harder." He said playfully.

"Oh, Tom! It's been so long-" Jenny stopped. It hadn't been that long. To her they hadn't seen each other in over a year but to Tom, they had seen each other at school the day before. _Remember your sixteen! _She yelled at herself mentally.

"What are you talking about? We saw each other yest- why are you wearing so much make-up?" Tom asked, studying her eyes. Jenny's mind stalled. She had started wearing more eye make-up when she hit her twenties since the eye liner trend really caught on.

"Oh. I was just in a hurry this morning and put a little too much on and didn't have time to redo it. Happy birthday by the way!" She said enthusiastically, trying to take the attention off her make up choices. She really was in a hurry this morning after waking up in the past and all but she honestly forgot about how her 16 year old self put her make up on. Jenny realized a second later that she'd also left her hair down, when young Jenny would have automatically put it up in a pony tail.

"Thanks Thorny. We should get going, I don't want to be late." Tom said walking around the car to get in the driver's side. Jenny just nodded and got in the passenger side. Once Tom started the short drive to school, Jenny opened the compartment in her back pack that she used to keep extra make up, and a brush in for after gym; thankfully there was an elastic hair band floating around in there and Jenny put her hair up. Tom glanced at her and smiled with approval.

They pulled into the school parking lot and Jenny was surprised at how overwhelmed she felt. All her friends, acquaintances, and fellow peers she didn't know, going about their normal days. For a moment Jenny didn't know if she could do this. _Do I have to do _everything _all over again? Every single day of the last six years of my life? What am I doing here? _

"Thorny? You ok?" Tom had unbuckled his seat belt and leaned over to get a better look at her. "Uh. Yeah. I'm fine. I-I just felt sick for a minute, but I'm fine." She tried to slow her breathing and managed a smile. Tom nodded slowly, "Ok. Ready?" Jenny smiled again and nodded.

Jenny shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The day had dragged on incredibly slow. It seemed like every time Jenny glanced at a clock, the hand had only moved a few minutes. She glanced again, she couldn't help it. 2:03 pm, only seven minutes until schools out.

"Jenny!" Dee whispered from the desk next to her. Jenny looked over to her friend and future room mate and smiled. She loved to be around sixteen year old Dee again. Dee hadn't really changed much in the last six years, but this Dee was slightly more spontaneous that twenty-two year old Dee. "What time do you want me and Audrey to come over tonight? You said you had to run an errand or something right?" Jenny nodded and whispered back, "Yeah. It's way to cold for the pool so I need to buy a game for the party. My parents are leaving town at about eight I think, so any time around then is great."

Jenny knew that they would be there early and Audrey would cook, but she didn't want to mention anything to Dee about future events. That just gave her a bad feeling instantly. Like she would be breaking some unspoken law of something or another.

The bell rang and Jenny slapped her book shut and dropped it in her back pack. "Will you fill the others in? But not Tom!" Jenny called to Dee as she was walking towards the door. She heard a "yep" in response so she headed towards the bad part of town.

Of course Jenny remembered what was going to happen on this walk, but she wasn't scared. She knew Julian was watching her. That familiar, almost weirdly comforting, feeling of being watched crept up on her around her second period class and Jenny knew it was Julian. She had to fight a smile when the feeling come on her. The last time she felt that was six long years ago, and it was exciting when it returned. That feeling that was apart of her world for ten years and when Julian died, Jenny had truly felt what it was like to be completely alone. It took some getting used to.

After a few minutes, Jenny heard the footsteps behind her. She glanced behind her and saw them. P.C. and Slug. They were idiots, but maybe they wouldn't have to die this time around if Jenny's plan worked. She walked just as she did when she was 16. Back straight, chin held high, stubbornly acting like she wasn't afraid, only this time it wasn't acting.

She continued down Eastman avenue to Montevideo and looked at the record store wall. There it was - the mural that looked like Eastman avenue before the riots. And there was the storefront painted in the middle of the mural with the door knob that was in fact three dimensional.

Jenny didn't even pause on her way to the door, she walked with confidence and purpose. When she was close enough she could read the sign above the door, More Games. Jenny grabbed the door knob, cool as china in her hand and turned it. She depressed the button lock on the inside of the door and then looked around.

It was just as she remembered. The odd mix of old and new. Ancient and modern. Exotic and familiar. The boom box on the counter was playing the acid house music and there was the one stained glass lamp lighting the store. Jenny walked slowly looking everything on the shelves and racks, just waiting to hear that voice. She came to the sign. _Welcome to my world. _Of course Julian probably thought that was brilliant putting that sign up. She didn't get to read all of it then, but now she knew what it said without even reading it.

"Can I help you?"

The voice spoke from right behind her. Jenny turned - and lost her breath. Eyes. Blue eyes. Black eye lashes so heavy they seem to weigh his eyelids down. Frost white hair cropped close at the sides and so long over the forehead that it fell into his eyes. Lean and elegant, with an unmistakable air of danger about him. _Julian…_

_A/N: _Yes? No? It was a hard one to write so i will not take it personally if you dont like it but please let me know either way! reviews are what keep me going and to those who already reviewed the last chapter thank you guys so much - your awesome!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! So sorry for the wait... I just lost the umph for a little while. I dont own the forbidden game series or its characters! Enjoy

Chapter 3

Jenny had to stop herself from saying his name out loud. She was frozen to the spot, the sight of him overwhelming her with feelings. He was as gorgeous as she remembered, his perfectly sculpted face and body, the smooth sound of his voice like velvet caressing her head to toe. She realized she was still standing there, silent as she was the first time this scene played out. She thought she was ready and would know what to say, but as always, Julian was a shock to her senses.

He walked over to the counter and clicked off the boom box, the silence roared in Jenny's ears.

"Can I help you?" He repeated, calmly and courteously as if she were just any customer.

Jenny glanced around the room, needing to look away from his eyes for a moment.

"I want to buy a game. For a party. For my boyfriend, Tom." She managed to say.

"Be my guest. Anything in particular?" He asked.

Before he could continue, Jenny cut him off. "This is a pretty interesting store." She slowly walked over to a table where a cup sat, filled with small tiles sporting runes, ready to be cast onto a felt surface. Jenny could feel Julian's eyes watching her but she tried not to appear nervous or give anything away just yet. She picked up the cup and shook it as though she were playing Yatzee, and dumped the runes out on the table. She picked one up and looked at it. "Gebo, means both gift and sacrifice. That's interesting, don't you think?" She asked, turning to look at Julian.

He was staring at her with a neutral expression, his eyes slightly narrowed as if wondering how she knew about the rune. Because, of course, sixteen year old Jenny shouldn't. Jenny hadn't known the first thing about runes or other worlds before meeting Julian. He also knew this, having watched her almost her whole life.

Julian slowly walked over to the table and picked up another rune. "Uruz-" He began,

"Used to pierce the veil between the worlds." Jenny finished for him. Julian looked as though he was going to say something, but Jenny didn't give him the chance. "You know this is some odd stuff you have in here. I have never seen anything like this, well, except once." Jenny said turning away from him again walking over to a bookshelf filled with books in ancient languages. She could hear him walking slowly over to her and she fought a smile. "And where have you once seen things like this?" He asked almost dangerously. He was realizing something was off with Jenny. Young Jenny didn't remember her experience in her grandfathers basement, full of charms, symbols, books on runes, but old Jenny did.

"When I was five, in my grandfather's basement." She said simply and turned to face Julian. She did smile then. Julian was glaring at her, but not in anger, more in confusion. That did it. She broke out in hysterical, inappropriate laughter. _To hell with the plan. _She thought before grabbing Julian in a hug. Julian didn't move. She had managed to completely shock him senseless. "Oh, Julian! I never thought I would see you again. But here you are! And here I am too!" Jenny pulled back to look at his face. He still had that dangerous look in his eyes as though this was a trick someone was playing on him.

"How do you know my name?" He asked, his voice full of warning. She had stopped her hysterical laughing but still giggled every few seconds, full of excitement with seeing Julian again, and the pure pleasure of turning the tables on him for once.

"We have some stuff to talk about. That's actually the understatement of the century - we have a lot to talk about. Is there somewhere else you want to go to talk?" Jenny asked, not liking the feeling of the More Games store. It was dark and she still had that odd feeling of being cut off from the real world. "Can we go somewhere in my world though? I still have to get to Tom's birthday party later, and if I remember correctly, time runs differently here." Julian had lost the menacing look and wore a look of complete confusion. His blue eyes scanned her face as though she weren't real and he was looking for that one detail to prove it. "Follow me." He said.

He walked behind the cash register and through a curtain leading to a back room. It looked like any typical store's back room. Filled with dusty boxes on shelves lining walls, but there was a door in the back. Jenny hoped he trusted her enough to take her somewhere familiar and not just take her to the shadow world. When he opened the back door, Jenny saw the beach. It made her feel dizzy for a second, completely disoriented. The door should have opened to an alley leading out to Eastman avenue, but no, it was the beach about twenty minutes from Jenny's parents house. He stepped through the threshold and turned to hold a hand out to Jenny. She took it without hesitation and let him help her out of the store and onto the warm sand.

There was conveniently a large blanket someone had left sitting to their right and Julian headed for it. Jenny noticed there wasn't any sand on the blanket and immediately decided Julian had in fact put it there. They sat next to each other, but not too close. The sun was just beginning to set. Jenny glanced at Julian and noticed the dagger earring. He could make anything look good.

"So Jenny. Would you like to tell me how you know about me?" He asked, although it may have sounded more like telling than asking. Jenny wasn't afraid of Julian like she used to be. She realized how he had hardened himself to the world and anything he wasn't comfortable with. "Alright. Well, it all started when I was sixteen and planning Tom's seventeenth birthday party. It was supposed to be a pool party, but the weather turned freakishly cold for April, so I went to the bad part of town to buy a game. Two guys, P.C. and Slug, chased me into a game store, called More Games. At that store, I meet Julian. The youngest shadow man…and the nicest." Jenny glanced at Julian, giving him a smile. He had a look of concern in his eyes and for a moment Jenny was terrified he thought she lost her mind. "Go on." He said and looked out over the ocean, a piece of ice white hair falling into his eyes.

"You sell me a game. A paper house, that we fill with out worst nightmares, and are forced to face them one by one. You make me hate you. You put hundreds of bees on me, tricked me into kissing you - in a rather nasty way at that - you made me believe Summer was dead, and in the end we win, but you don't care. You gave me a seventeenth century poesy ring with the inscription: All I Refuse and Thee I Chuse." Jenny paused and could see Julian glance at her out of the corner of her eye but she couldn't look at him, not yet.

"I make you believe me when I promise myself to you, but then I lock you in my grandfather's closet - again. Later, P.C. and Slug let you out after they steal the game from my house, but they run into the other shadow men and… well. So then you come back for another game, and we win again. But you take Zach and Tom with you to the shadow world and tell us come on a treasure hunt if we want them back. So, we run away from home, go to my grandfather's house, get into the shadow world and play the worst game of all - At Joyland park. Well, the shadow world's Joyland park. The other shadow men tried to kill me, to drown me, but you saved me. And you gave Summer back, good as new. I saw my grandfather in that awful fortune teller machine, and P.C. and Slug's heads…and bodies too, but there weren't connected anymore. I set them free. I didn't know what that meant when I did that though. I didn't know that a price would have to paid for that. I realized during that game that I really care about you, Julian. And it seemed like right after I realized that, we won. I wanted to stay and talk to you, but you didn't want to talk to me anymore. Then the other shadow men showed up and tried to take me to replace their 'prey' that I released, and you took my place. You let them cut your name out, so I could be safe and live my life." Jenny took a deep breath. It felt amazing to say all of that out loud. It was the first time she ever laid it out for someone like that and if felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

She turned to look at Julian. She could only see the clean purity of his profile, but he was staring hard out over the ocean. He didn't look at her, she couldn't tell anything by looking at him. "If all of that is true, how are we back here?" Jenny smiled, "I've been given a second chance." Julian turned to look at her, she was starting to see a trace of the old Julian. He had a slight mischievous glimmer in his eyes, and seeing that made Jenny smile even bigger. "How did you score yourself a second chance? Those aren't too easy to come by."

Jenny laughed, "You have no idea how bad I was hoping you wouldn't ask that." He had that smirk, that wolfish grin on his face and Jenny hadn't realized how bad she missed seeing that until now. She sighed, "Ok. I wished on a star. Lame, I know." She said. Julian laughed. Jenny also didn't realize that she had missed his laugh. Just hearing it again made Jenny join in. She laughed hard, she didn't realize she had began crying until Julian wiped a tear away from her cheek.

Once she realized she had began crying, she couldn't stop. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I went to sleep in my house last night as a 22 year old nurse and I woke up as a stupid 16 year old. I don't think I can do this. I didn't know that the wish could come true, I was just talking and… what if there's no going back, Julian? What if I lost those six years and I have to do every single day over again. Things turned out really great for my friends and what if I do something differently and it changes their whole future? I mean, the games changed all of us for the better, it made us even closer and now without them, what if we drift apart?"

Jenny knew she probably had eye liner dripping down her cheeks but at that moment it didn't matter. She had been worried all day about this and finally having Julian to talk to, it all just spilled out. She felt Julian put his arm around her shoulders and let him pull her so her head could lean on his shoulder. "I think you should be more worried about yourself than your friends. You say that their lives turned out pretty great but you felt the need to wish on a star to change your future. What exactly did you wish for Jenny?"

"To have a second chance." She shrugged and began tracing random lines in the sand next to her.

"At what?"

"I don't know, I guess a second chance with you? I always felt like something was missing."

"And what about Tommy? Does he know how you've been feeling?"

"Oh my God! Tom's birthday! I have to go. It's a long story, but we aren't together in the future, or the past, or well its nothing now… Come with me!"

A/N: ok so this chapter was hard. i know its mainly just summarizing the books, but felt like i should write it out. so what do you think? is it worth continuing? i wont take it personally if you hate it, but please tell me if its no good!


	4. Chapter 4

Ok I am so sorry this is so friggin short! I will update with in the next day though - promise - I didn't have a lot of time to write so this was all I could do for now. Hopefully

Chapter 4

Jenny stood up and took a step before she realized Julian didn't move. "What's wrong? Are you coming with me?" Julian stood up in one graceful movement and went to stand in front of her. He was being completely serious, moody almost. "I can't. If everything you told me is true, somewhere along those games I found self control, around you. Around Tom. You don't understand how hard it is for me to not take you to my world right now. And around your Tom?" Julian gave a sinister smile. "Well, if you know me that well I'm sure you know what I think of him."

For a second Jenny felt discouraged. It took a long time for Julian to become what he was at the end of the last game, and here they were back at square one. "You wont take me Julian. And you wont hurt Tom. I asked you a few times during the games, why you couldn't have just came and asked me. You don't have to fight the world to get what you want, some things have to be given freely. The way things turned out last time between us weren't that great, and this is a chance for us to try to get to know each other - no games, no manipulation, just us getting to see if this can go anywhere. Are you in?"

Julian was staring at Jenny hard, dangerously. For a second she thought she had crossed the line, talking to old Julian that way. She could see he was thinking, but she wasn't sure if it was about what she had said or if it was about trying to use some sort of trick to get her to go with him. Finally he smiled. Wolf hungry.

"You've changed. I like it."

Jenny smiled and took a step towards the road.

"Jenny."

She turned and Julian was still smiling, his blue eyes flashing amusement. "Didn't you say you needed a game?"


End file.
